Nightmares (1983)
Directed by Joseph Sargent
Genres - Mystery, Science Fiction, Crime |
Sub-Genres - Creature Film, Slasher Film |
Release Date - Sep 2, 1983 (USA - Limited), Sep 9, 1983 (USA - Unknown), Sep 9, 1983 (USA) |
Run Time - 99 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - R
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Synopsis by Eleanor Mannikka
Divided into four separate independent films originally made as a television pilot, Nightmares begins with "Terror in Topanga," a story about a young woman who goes out one night to buy a pack of cigarettes, knowing full well that the infamous "canyon killer" is on the loose -- and sure enough, a subtly menacing store clerk (Anthony James) begins to loom large in the woman's journey. The second story, "Bishop of Battle" is a sequence with animation that details the saga of a video games champion who comes up against a supernatural opponent. The next vignette, "The Benediction" is about a priest who gives up on his faith and takes off down the highway, only to be confronted with a demonic minivan and good reasons for remaining a believer. The last story, "Night of the Rat" has the rodent that ate Manhattan looming large over the home of a young couple, but never fear, the husband is blasé enough to handle anything, or so he thinks. As might be expected, the low-budget production and facetious scripting of a few of these sequences work against the intended scary effect of the stories.
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Keywords
death, demon, faith, family, maniac, monster, priest, rat [animal], scientist, smoking, suburbs, teenagers, video-games